Sanitation
The Facts about Sanitation at Global Level
- Today 1 in 3 people or 2.2 billion people around the world lack safe drinking water. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
- Over half of the global population or 4.2 billion people lack safe sanitation. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
- Almost half of the schools in the world do not have handwashing facilities with soap and water available to students.
- Approximately 50 litres of water per person per day are needed to ensure that most basic needs are met while keeping public health risks at a low level. (WHO, 2017)
- 207 million people spent over 30 minutes per round trip to collect water from an improved source. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
- Globally, at least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces. (WHO 2019)
- Some 297 000 children – more than 800 every day – under five who die annually from diarrhoeal diseases due to poor sanitation, poor hygiene, or unsafe drinking water. (WHO 2019)
- Children younger than age 5 in countries experiencing protracted conflict are 20 times more likely to die from causes linked to unsafe water and sanitation than from direct violence. (UNICEF, 2019)
- 1 million deaths each year are associated with unclean births. Infections account for 26% of neonatal deaths and 11% of maternal mortality. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
- Hygiene promotion is the most cost effective health intervention. (World Bank 2016)
- 2 out of 5 people or 3 billion people around the world lack basic handwashing facilties at home. (WHO/UNICEF 2019)
- Loss of productivity to water- and sanitation-related diseases costs many countries up to 5% of GDP. (WHO 2012)
- Universal access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation and hygiene would reduce the global disease burden by 10%. (WHO 2012)
- In urban areas, for every $1 invested in basic drinking water, an average of more than $3 is returned in saved medical costs and increased productivity. For every $1 invested in basic sanitation, the return is $2.5. In rural areas, the return on investment is even higher: with every $1 invested in basic drinking water, an average of nearly $7 is returned in saved medical costs and increased productivity. And in the case of basic sanitation in rural areas, every $1 returns on average more than $5 in saved medical costs and increased productivity. (Hutton et al. 2015)
Source:https://www.unwater.org/water-facts/water-sanitation-and-hygiene Updated on 8th Dec, 2020